Debiopharm and SunRock Biopharma Partner to Advance Antibody Drug Conjugates for Hard-to-treat Cancers
Debiopharm (www.debiopharm.com), a privately-owned, Swiss-based, biopharmaceutical company aiming to establish tomorrow’s standard-of-care to cure cancer and infectious diseases, today announced an exclusive option and license agreement with SunRock Biopharma (www.sunrockbiopharma.com), a Galician company supported by the regional government, Xunta de Galicia, through Xesgalicia, devoted to the development of antibodies against highly invasive tumors with an urgent clinical need in oncology, for the advancement of the development of specifically targeted antibodies.
The agreement offers Debiopharm licensing options to further develop SunRock’s antibodies integrating Debiopharm’s innovative linker technologies, Multilink™ and AbYlink™, to create innovative antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Novel ADCs will be developed with capacity to target tumor-specific antigens to fight cancers with high unmet need, including those tumor types expressing HER2/HER3.
ADCs are emerging as promising therapies in the fight against cancer due to their unique ability to target and destroy cancer cells selectively while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. These innovative therapeutics combine the precise targeting capabilities of monoclonal antibodies with the potent cytotoxic effects of small molecule drugs, resulting in a powerful synergistic effect. By harnessing the specificity of antibodies, ADCs can recognize and bind to tumor-specific antigens on the surface of cancer cells, ensuring that the toxic payload is delivered directly to its intended target. This precise approach not only enhances therapeutic efficacy but also reduces systemic toxicity and side effects commonly associated with traditional cancer treatments.
“Our partnership with SunRock could result in the creation of highly innovative antibody-drug conjugates with the potential to tackle cancer in a new way and ultimately improve the lives of cancer patients,” commented Bertrand Ducrey, CEO of Debiopharm. “In a time when few new modalities show promise in effectively beating cancer, the potential of this collaboration is sparking scientific curiosity by combining biology and chemistry.”
Advancements in linker technology have improved ADC stability in circulation, reducing premature drug release and further increasing treatment specificity and effectiveness. Debiopharm’s unique Multilink™ technology can be used to create ADCs that are significantly more effective and better tolerated as it allows the loading of multiple payloads on an antibody. AbYlink™ is an antibody conjugation technology suited to rapidly generate new antibody drug conjugates or imaging antibodies while preserving the original affinity of the antibody to its target.
“We’re highly motivated to uncover the potential of these antibodies with well-validated oncology targets such as HER2 and HER3,” expressed Frederic Levy, Senior Executive Director, Search & Evaluation and Scientific Innovation. “Combining these promising molecules with our linker technology could really boost efficacy and safety to outsmart a wide variety of cancers with a high unmet medical need.”
“We are really enthusiastic about the powerful synergy of SunRock antibodies and bispecific antibodies with Debiopharm’s ADC platform and clinical development capabilities,” commented Laureano Simón, CEO of SunRock Biopharma.
About Multilink™
Multilink™ is a new cleavable linker platform suited for multidrug attachment and compatible with any conjugation technology to produce ADCs with high DAR (drug-to-antibody ratio). This unique and innovative technology allows the loading of multiple payloads on an antibody for an enhanced therapeutic effect. This highly effective and well-tolerated linker platform is available for use by other specialty biotech or pharmaceutical companies to generate proprietary, clinical-stage ADCs.
About AbYlink™
AbYlink™ is a versatile and rapid antibody conjugation technology for diagnostic purposes and ADC preparation. This site-selective method offers defined and invariable conjugation sites with no impact on antigen-binding regions. It facilitates a seamless, homogenous antibody conjugation process between antibodies and cytotoxic drugs, ensuring optimal stability and controlled drug release at the site of action. AbYlink empowers researchers to design ADCs with enhanced efficacy, safety, and specificity that can address unmet medical needs of patients through cutting-edge ADC innovation.
About SunRock Biopharma
SunRock Biopharma is a biotech company devoted to the development of therapeutic antibodies against highly invasive tumors with an urgent clinical need. SunRock has developed a unique portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutic antibodies and bispecific antibodies against novel targets, such as CCR9 and well-known targets such as HER3.
About Debiopharm
Debiopharm develops innovative therapies that target high unmet medical needs in oncology and infectious diseases. Bridging the gap between disruptive discovery products and international patient reach, we identify high-potential compounds and technologies for in-licensing, clinically demonstrate their safety and efficacy and then select large pharmaceutical commercialization partners to maximize patient access globally.
Visit us www.debiopharm.com
Follow us on Twitter @DebiopharmNews at http://twitter.com/DebiopharmNews
Follow us on LinkedIn
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230920230991/en/
Contact information
Debiopharm
Dawn Bonine – Head of Communications
dawn.bonine@debiopharm.com
Tel: +41 (0)21 321 01 11
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
New Study from UK’s Largest Virtual ADHD Service Validates Role of Objective Testing in Delivering Personalized, High-Quality Remote ADHD Care10.5.2025 13:45:00 EEST | Press release
As demand for virtual ADHD care increases, findings from a new study conducted with ADHD 360, the UK’s largest evidence-based digital service specializing in ADHD diagnosis and treatment, reveal how objective ADHD diagnostic and monitoring technology improves patient outcomes and clinical certainty. Presented at the 2025 ADHD World Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, the findings highlight the role of QbCheck, Qbtech’s remote testing solution, in enabling clinicians to make more confident, data-informed decisions, supporting a more personalized and collaborative care model. The tool allows for greater clarity when assessing symptoms and adjusting treatment plans over time, ensuring diagnostic accuracy and helping to improve alignment between clinicians and patients throughout the care journey. The results from ADHD 360’s implementation of this model showcase how a standardized approach to virtual ADHD care improves clinician confidence, reduces wait times, and enhances patient engageme
Ant International Partners with Barclays on Global Treasury Management with Proprietary AI-Powered FX Model9.5.2025 16:57:00 EEST | Press release
Ant International has entered a partnership with leading UK bank Barclays to enhance efficiency and resilience in global treasury management for businesses. Under the partnership, the two sides will combine innovative solutions, including Ant’s proprietary Time-Series Transformer (TST) AI FX Model, to help businesses reduce FX-related costs and risks against global volatilities. At the initial stage of the collaboration, Ant International has successfully completed the first batch of its intra-group FX transactions with Barclays. Ant International’s TST Model is a transformer architecture-based big data model with close to 2 billion parameters. By integrating the latest time series forecasting algorithms, the TST Model predicts patterns over time. Ant also created new pre-training and Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) frameworks to train the model and improve its predictions over time. The TST Model now forecasts the company's cashflow and FX exposure on an hourly, daily and weekly basis, w
Monument Re Transfers €1.4bn Greycastle Portfolio to RGA and Strengthens European Life Insurance Consolidation Platform9.5.2025 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Monument Re Limited (“Monument”) announces today that it has transferred a legacy €1.4bn reinsurance portfolio, comprising annuity and other life insurance liabilities acquired as part of the 2020 Greycastle transaction, to RGA Americas Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (“RGA”). This transaction releases capital resources that Monument will redirect to its core strategy of consolidation in European life insurance markets. The transaction completed on 2May 2025 following approval by the Boards of Directors of both Monument and RGA and non-objection from the Bermuda Monetary Authority. Monument has taken significant steps in recent months to strengthen its business operations by consolidating its European group support functions in Dublin and by aligning with the recently strengthened regulatory regime in Bermuda. With its strong financial position and best in class capabilities in the Group, Monument remains ideally positioned to build on its success to date and grow its European footprint, del
IFF Completes Divestiture of Nitrocellulose Business9.5.2025 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
IFF (NYSE: IFF) today announced that it has completed the divestiture of its nitrocellulose business, including Walsrode Industrial Park in lower Saxony, Germany, to Czechoslovak Group (CSG). The business manufactures nitrocellulose strictly for industrial purposes, serving customers primarily in coatings and printing inks, and had been part of IFF’s Pharma Solutions business unit. “The divestiture of our nitrocellulose business builds upon our deleveraging journey and enables us to focus on our core businesses,” said Erik Fyrwald, IFF CEO. “I’d like to thank our nitrocellulose colleagues for their dedication and wish them continued success as part of CSG.” Welcome to IFF At IFF (NYSE: IFF), we make joy through science, creativity and heart. As the global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, health and biosciences, we deliver groundbreaking, sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products—advancing wellness, delighting the senses and enhancing the human experience.Le
CPAC Systems AB Announces Strategic Minority Investment in Flying Fish9.5.2025 13:33:00 EEST | Press release
CPAC Systems AB, a leader in advanced control systems and embedded vessel and commercial vehicle technology, today announced a strategic minority investment in Flying Fish Maritime Innovations B.V., a pioneer in advanced shared water mobility solutions and robust, cost-effective hydrofoil technology. The investment underscores both companies’ commitment to redefining water-based transportation through innovation, sustainability, and seamless integration. It marks the beginning of a deeper collaboration aimed at enabling smarter, cleaner, and more connected mobility on the water — for both recreational and commercial applications. “We are thrilled to support Flying Fish and their impressive work in redefining water mobility,"saidMarcus Wingolf, CEO of CPAC Systems. "Our investment in Flying Fish represents a strategic alignment of our technical proficiencies and innovative ambitions. This partnership opens exciting new possibilities for integration and sustainable transformation across
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom